Springtime inspired me to purge my closet (I’ll be sharing more about that in a future post) to make more room. And guess what? I could fling open the closet door and experience a breeze of fresh air wafting out, and all without a mountain of fabric avalanching on my face. Okay, that’s a little exaggerated, but you get the gist!

And with that extra room, I wanted to do a bit of smart shopping to start off 2015, which is pretty much the following formula: shopping affordably + appropriately to the season. 599fashion wanted to help me reach my goal, and so I’m here to share with you a few items they sent over! I love how they offer so many options for clothing, accessories, lifestyle, etc… AND did you know they boast an extended line to include items for men+women+children – any creative last minute ideas for Mother’s or Father’s day, anyone? ;).

Let me show you my little haul with 599fashion.com! I’ll leave you a rundown of the details (shipping, thoughts on quality, etc) after the images. Let me know your thoughts!

item one: TASSEL EARRINGS

super cute, not too large for my ears, brand new and the little chains added a fun flair to my outfit!

whimsical, and the universal necklace. any look, and BAM. you’re done.

item five: GEOMETRIC PLATED NECKLACE

the quirky, outgoing one. free to pair with anything to add a little funk.

oh, yeah.

item six: THE SUNNIES

standard shades. cool texture.

item seven: FLUFFY SLIPPERS

need i say more?

oh, my darling!

item eight: EMBROIDERED FLORALS

my favorite shirt atm. so spring but so versatile.

that detail, though…

item nine: MICKEY GOES ABROAD

a fun, mickey-inspired shirt with the CUTEST bow formed into the shirt.

see below.

amazing.

And yeah! I hope you enjoyed that sneak peek. I’ll link a video to show me trying on all of the items in the set HERE. or here.

THOUGHTS:

SHIPPING: fast! arrived just a few days after placing the order

SERVICE: easy, and very responsive. i even received an e-mail update regarding where the package was!

SET: the amount of items offered on 599fashion.com is immense! i love that there are so many styles that are catered to, and the price point (everything $5.99 or less

AVAILABILITY (sorry, no more alliteration): things go pretty quickly due to the low price points, so the exact items that even I’m showing you may not be on the website anymore. however, there are so many products loaded, which means similar things are sure to be discovered. how you go about that is up to you! it’s the ultimate scavenger hunt 🙂

Aaaaand that’s it! I hope you enjoyed the images and found this post helpful – let me know if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you! 🙂

So today, I thought I would take a few moments to go over a few key pieces every bridesmaid should have the day of the wedding!

My Credentials? Not much, but I have been a bridesmaid twice and figure I can share what I learned from those instances!

Remember, these are all secondary to you being there for the bride. It’s a day of celebration, so be a support and soak it in!

So here it is…

THE LIST:

1. Shoes.

I don’t know what the bride-to-be told you, but make sure to pick out the pair of heels/flats/sandals to her specifications! For both of mine, I was asked to wear nude footwear, and I complied with this great pair from Target! So affordable, and looks great in photos 🙂 The only downside is that they’re fake suede and got scuffed up pretty easily, but I’m okay with that. I think it adds character.

2. Fashion tape.

Alterations are all nice, as are custom made dresses, but there will still be that moment when you try on a dress (or someone else in the bridal party does) and finds to their chagrin that something doesn’t fit quite right. It might be the bust area. It might be the length of the dress. It might be a little gap between the fabric and the skin. Always carry some fashion tape for that “oops!” moment. And stop it before it happens. I’m all about prevention, here haha.

3. The Dress.

You know, the one that you’ve been waiting to arrive and crossing your fingers that everything would fit right. That the color would at least match your skin tone isn’t asking too much, right?? This cute mint dress was from Etsy and custom made for every bridesmaid. Just don’t forget to bring the dress the day of the wedding because…. well, people are going to notice if you’re in a pair of sweats and a button down!

4.Speaking of which… the Button down.

Why is this necessary? Wear it so that when the makeup artist (whether it’s you or someone else) is working on you, you don’t get makeup stains on “the Dress” that is going to be photographed for days on end. And because it has buttons, it’s easy to slip out of and into the dress afterwards without your pretty face smearing all the laboriously-placed makeup on the non-button down shirt you could have been wearing!

5. Flats/sandals.

These are crucial throughout the wedding! I wore mine to the location where we were getting ready, which was nice – you know, pampering my feet before they would be standing in heels before hundreds of people for about an hour (and more at the reception!). But I also wore them on the walks to the different locations where the bridal party/groomsmen went to take photos. This is a lifesaver when you have to walk on cobblestones! And the flats are super cute and a no-brainer to slip into after the reception if you’re staying to help clean up!

And onto the hairy end of things!

6. Hair straightener and curler.

Pretty standard – you can use the straightener to make your hair sleek and smooth, or do some wrist-turning and turn it into a hair curler! I love my Babyliss 1″ curling iron (in red) and it’s my second purchase now! GAWWWGEOUS, darling. No joke.

7. Round brush/teasing comb.

Always useful tools to have when you need a little extra oomph in your hair! Volume is always nice, hehe. Particularly useful for those with heavy or fine hair.

8. Bobby pins/small elastics.

Purchase these in the same color as your own hair so that they don’t present too much of a contrast in photos! I added a decorative floral piece if you wanted some for pizzazz and needed a little reminder 🙂

9. Headband.

Does anything need to be said? It can get a little annoying having that one stray hair keep tickling your face when you’re getting all done up. Don’t even let that happen!

On to the beautification!

10. Face pre- primer.

I have Dr. Brandt’s pore refiner – it smells funky, but it literally makes your pores disappear and mattifies the skin. Amazing. Pricey, but amazing.

11. Face primer.

You can skip the pre-primer, but definitely use a primer! I have the L’oreal magic perfecting base, which has worked so well for me every time I purchase it.

12. Foundation.

Sometimes, the makeup artist will have a few, but it’s always best to bring your own that you know matches your skin tone and lasts well through long periods of exposure. Here, I have pictured a foundation my mom gifted me because my grandma said it was good! Haha so we all have the same foundation, and I brought that.

13. Foundation/bronzer/blush/jack-of-all-trades brush.

Just in case.

14. Pressed translucent powder.

[Pictured in the middle] Sometimes, you need to touch up, and the E.L.F. is a great option (so affordable too!).

15. False eyelashes.

Ardelle’s 110 “Natural” lashes are classic! Easy to put on (speaking from the makeup artist’s perspective – I take forever and still can’t guarantee results) and instantly add some drama!

16. Eyeshadow primer.

This one here is from Urban Decay (gold tube and purple cap) and is in the shade “greed.” It’s a stunning soft gold shade, and is CRITICAL for ladies with a crease. Without it, my eyeshadow goes all over the place, but this ensures a snug fit with all of the layering and blending action going on.

17. Eyebrow pencil.

I look like the Mona Lisa without it. If you can say “aye” to that yourself, remember to bring a pencil/powder/wax/whatever floats your boat!

18. Eye Makeup Remover.

Neutrogena’s product (blue bottle, gray cap) works wonders and is too simple to use. I remember using this for the foundation under one of my eyes, where it strangely turned an awkward texture and changed color. I have no idea what happened, but I kept calm and removed it, then added the foundation and powder on top where the bare spot was.

19. Q-tips.

For the makeup remover/touchups.

20. Body lotion.

To make sure you don’t have dry patches showing in photos. I packed the Fresh Body Lotion (sea salt, I believe? smells super good).

21. Eyebrow gel.

To keep your revamped brows in place, in thick or thin, sweat or skin.

22. Mascara + Curler.

You know the drill. Va va VOOOOOOM.

23. Oil blotting sheets.

While I do like the affordable ones from Daiso, I believe nothing beats the Clean&Clear sheets for a special occasion. Yes, it’s gross to see all that oil change the color of the sheet, but hey, you know it’s coming off your face! 🙂 Definitely makes a HUGE difference when blotting. Highly recommended.

24. Floss.

Juuuust in case. You’ll thank me later.

25. A thankful heart!

Just remember all the good times you’ve had with the bride to be, the ways you’re thankful for her, the lovely memories to look forward to, and the life she can have with the person she commits to love for the rest of her life!

And I think we’re a go!

I packed all of these in a small luggage roller to ensure easy access and travel. So maybe that’s included in the list as well!

I hope you enjoyed and found this helpful!

Now go back out there and enjoy the day, stress-free and all prepared, to celebrate your friend’s big day!

(top left)Shampoo (I used this one because I couldn’t find my baby shampoo. It works!)

(top right)An object higher in elevation than the brushes (It’ll make sense later)

(bottom left) An empty jar

(bottom right) Dirty brushes and a small towel

THE STEPS:

1.) Pump a quarter-size dollop of shampoo into the jar

2.) Pour in hot water from the faucet into the jar, stimulating the shampoo to bubble

You want just enough so that placing the brushes inside won’t cause a flood

3.) Place the brushes inside and let soak for a few seconds

4.) Swirl one brush at a time against the jar’s bottom to knock out makeup product

5.) Rinse the bristles quickly and set aside on the small towel

6.) Repeat until all brushes are squeaky clean

7.) Place the higher object in the center of the towel, then place the brushes with the handles leaning against the object so the bristles touch the towel

This makes sure no residual water stays in the brush handle and causes rusting/damage to the brush

8.) Wait to dry, then use the brushes to your heart’s content!

I love how these few steps allow me to save time (washing) and money (shampoo), as well as water (because most of it is in the jar)!

If you’re more of a visual person than a person of “the written word,” feel free to click any of the pictures in this post and get directed to the video I created to communicate the deep-cleaning process.